HOMOGENEOUS RU-CO BIMETALLIC CATALYSIS IN CO2 HYDROGENATION - THE FORMATION OF ETHANOL

In the homogeneous Ru-Co bimetallic catalysis of the hydrogenation of CO2, the cobalt can partly replace the Ru without loss of productivity , it enhances the selectivity in ethanol and catalyzes the homologatio n to ethanol of the methanol resulting from the hydrogenation, by the Ru, of CO2. The most significant feature was found to be that the Co c omplex is stabilized by the Ru complex during the CO2 hydrogenation, i n contrast to the Fe and Mo complexes. This stabilization suggests the formation of some stable Ru-Co mixed metal clusters during the hydrog enation catalysis, although there is some FT-IR evidence to the contra ry. It was also shown that the presence of CO is not sufficient to sta bilize the Co complex under such severe reaction conditions.